# American Idol 1/23 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122 "2007-01-23T18:18:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/121 "2007-01-25T06:06:57Z")
I liked the Canadian girl, but her eyebrows are distracting. That can’t be their natural shape. I liked Opera Girl too. She seems like a character in a movie, and the movie is about her. Is she already famous and I’m in a time warp? What a weird vibe I’m getting from her. I think Workout Girl should skip Idol and go sing with a rock band. She looks like she wants to beat somebody up. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/122 "2007-01-25T11:24:55Z")
Good god, what a yawn fest. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/123 "2007-01-25T12:50:00Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Here goes Simon with the drag queen jokes again. [/QUOTE] But man, Paula’s reaction pissed me off. Yeah, the singer seemed like a nice guy but it’s not like Simon ripped into him. Paula totally overreacted and ended up showing the guy more disrespect by turning it into The Paula Show. I loved how they showed shorter-NJ-girl in the crappy-singer montage. I definitely liked her taller friend better; that “training” only made Shorter sound artificial. I wonder…could Opera Girl’s school really kick her out for singing in a pop competition? She really shouldn’t have bet the farm on going all the way. [QUOTE=Only Mostly Dead] “Who is this?” [/QUOTE] Yeah, how many girls does he have calling him Dad? It was so sweet, but then I couldn’t help but think “I just want her home safe” would be followed by a beatdown in private. :eek: [QUOTE=Biggirl] Carol Bayer-Sager is the Joans! Why didn’t any of you tell me? [/QUOTE] “OMG! I’m hugging Randy! I’m hugging Paula! \>I’m also hugging this woman I don’t know who she is\<” That girl was sweet though. Oh, and I liked Shirley Caesar, but she has people counting on her going to Hollywood? Again, unrealistic expectations! ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/124 "2007-01-25T13:15:28Z")
I was listening to a local radio show this morning and they had a local girl on that made it to Hollywood. She auditioned in Memphis, but we didn’t see her. All we saw was her jumping in the fountain in the montage of people who made it through. What I thought was interesting is that when the DJs asked her to sing something, she said she wasn’t allowed to sing. She also couldn’t say whether she made it past Hollywood week, but I can understand that. And the hottie 16 year old is a local guy too. Did Paula know he was 16 when she was drooling over him? [sub]Or was it the pills causing the drooling? I’m going to hell, aren’t I?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/125 "2007-01-25T13:39:34Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I liked Opera Girl too. She seems like a character in a movie, and the movie is about her. Is she already famous and I’m in a time warp? What a weird vibe I’m getting from her. [/QUOTE] Opera Girl is a dead ringer for Weiner Dog (Dawn Weiner) from _Welcome to the Dollhouse_! I couldn’t get that out of my head during her audition. I liked her, though, and I think at least she’ll be entertaining as long as she lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/126 "2007-01-25T13:42:42Z")
[QUOTE=Nutty Bunny] I was listening to a local radio show this morning and they had a local girl on that made it to Hollywood. She auditioned in Memphis, but we didn’t see her. All we saw was her jumping in the fountain in the montage of people who made it through. What I thought was interesting is that when the DJs asked her to sing something, she said she wasn’t allowed to sing. She also couldn’t say whether she made it past Hollywood week, but I can understand that. And the hottie 16 year old is a local guy too. Did Paula know he was 16 when she was drooling over him? [sub]Or was it the pills causing the drooling? I’m going to hell, aren’t I?[/sub] [/QUOTE] Yes. They acknowledged his age before he sang. Man…he was smokin’! I’m glad they’ve finally started picking people, but I certainly haven’t seen any worthy of becoming an Idol at this point. Kind of a lackluster season so far, if you ask me. Did Carol Bayer Sager look like Joan Fucking Collins or _WHAT!_ ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/127 "2007-01-25T13:49:13Z")
Oh, the 16 y/o. I’m going to call him Jenry [Belafonte.](http://www.gocontinental.com/photos2/belafonte5.jpg) Seriously, he is a dead ringer. Beyond that, forget about whether or not the judges are rude. Some of the rejected **contestants** are mind-bogglingly rude. Not just Miss Ian and Cowboy Hat Sara, either. Rejectees are often rude, and they apparently don’t realize how bad and unprofessional it makes them look. And yeah, “Who’s this?” made me shudder. Granted, it was Ryan’s phone, so he might have been confused at first by “unknown number”, but how could he not know her voice? Even if he has five daughters, at least start hazarding names! Speaking of lookalikes, the guy who quit did resemble Simon. Except he was lighter! A Brit is more tan than he is! That said, I’m boggling that they’d accept him again (he did get through, right?) after _he_ rejected _them_. And I don’t think we did see him last year. I was going to say, because he quit, but there was a woman who dropped out the year before, and they showed her mulling it over beforehand. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/128 "2007-01-25T13:53:01Z")
I’m happy they’ve been showing us more good auditions this week. I personally get tired of the 15-minute buildup to one bad audition, but YMMV. Did the judges remember that the one guy actually dropped out of Hollywood week last year? Because if it were me, there’s no way in hell I’d have given him a second chance. If he been eliminated, sure. But the guy _dropped out_. IMO, that doesn’t deserve a second chance, especially when there are so many other people who would have killed to have the chance he did last year. I’m going to be kind of pissed if he makes it to the finals. My favorite last night was Opera Girl. She’s fun and quirky and I like her. She has a fantastic voice and I definitely agree that she can sing anything. Though with these judges you can never win. Either you sound the same on every song and they rag on you to change it up, or you change it up on every song and they tell you to find your identity. The last guy who Paula thought looked like Justin Timberlake didn’t impress me. Am I getting old? Because I didn’t think he was hot at all. Nice looking, sure, but not smoking hot. The 16-year-old was gorgeous, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/129 "2007-01-25T14:39:19Z")
In addition to the guy who dropped out during the Hollywood competition, there was a woman (Ashanti?) who had already made it to Hollywood twice, but they still auditioned her. Surely there were better people they could showcase instead of her, or instead of that really weird guy with whom they opened the show, and who seemed to get over five minutes of airtime. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/130 "2007-01-25T15:07:32Z")
[QUOTE=Tangent] Opera Girl is a dead ringer for Weiner Dog (Dawn Weiner) from _Welcome to the Dollhouse_! I couldn’t get that out of my head during her audition. I liked her, though, and I think at least she’ll be entertaining as long as she lasts. [/QUOTE] Totally! That’s exactly what I thought. I’m curious to see what she does in Hollywood. She seems like she can change it up more than that Stevie Scott from last season. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/131 "2007-01-25T15:19:06Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] In addition to the guy who dropped out during the Hollywood competition, there was a woman (Ashanti?) who had already made it to Hollywood twice, but they still auditioned her. [/QUOTE] I thought she was fantastic. Every bit as good as Judy Garland. Not singing-wise, but melodrama-wise. The flaming superstar guy at the beginning was my favorite, though. Even better than cowboy hat freakout non-singing chick. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/132 "2007-01-25T15:29:50Z")
If I were forced to pick a favorite from last night, it would be Space Suit Man. He at least dutifully hid most of himself. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/133 "2007-01-25T15:41:14Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] If I were forced to pick a favorite from last night, it would be Space Suit Man. He at least dutifully hid most of himself. [/QUOTE] And he reminded me of the guys who came dressed as GWAR who made me almost piss myself last season. And Simon was brilliant with the “One problem…no emotion.” after the one girl ran out crying with joy. I loves me the deadpan. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/134 "2007-01-25T16:37:59Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] "Cawlin’ Glawria, Glawria…’ [/QUOTE] The most telling moment of his rant: “I _am_ a superstar! You can ask my parents, you can ask **my friend** , you can ask **one of my therapists** …” Here’s a hint, jackoff: When you have more therapists than friends, you’ve got a problem. [QUOTE=OpalCat] Which guy? I wish you guys would say who you are talking about when you make comments \>☹ [/QUOTE] Agreed – I watch the show on DVR, and don’t read the thread until the next day – that makes for quite a bit of disconnect while reading. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/135 "2007-01-25T17:03:58Z")
Have you ever noticed … Simon is the source of all evil if one is shot down at an audition, yet when Randy and Paula say the singing is crap, no one bats an eye. Yet, … When Randy and Paula say you’re good, no one bats an eye, but when Simon says you’re good, all hell breaks loose. So how can Simon be the source of Audition Hell, yet be the Savior at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/136 "2007-01-25T17:50:20Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] Have you ever noticed … Simon is the source of all evil if one is shot down at an audition, yet when Randy and Paula say the singing is crap, no one bats an eye. Yet, … When Randy and Paula say you’re good, no one bats an eye, but when Simon says you’re good, all hell breaks loose. So how can Simon be the source of Audition Hell, yet be the Savior at the same time? [/QUOTE] Because everybody knows (even if no one on the show ever admits it) that Simon’s opinion is the only one that matters. Praise from Pauler is just blather. Praise from Randy is a little better but still not that significant. Praise from Simon is real validation because it’s never hollow coming from him and he throws around compliments like truck tires. Likewise, if Simon doesn’t like you at least a little bit, you’ve got no shot. Simon IS the show in a lot of ways. Without him, it would be Star Search. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/137 "2007-01-25T18:16:52Z")
They better show at least a snippet of each of the final 16’s auditions this year. I may have mentioned this before, but it is bad, bad storytelling last season to not show us Gideon AT ALL-- not even during backstabbing week. And only showed Elliot very briefly during groups. They know by the time the show starts who the finalists will be. We can tell who Simon _really_ does not want to win by who gets no airtime at all before they are picked. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/138 "2007-01-25T18:21:46Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Because everybody knows (even if no one on the show ever admits it) that Simon’s opinion is the only one that matters. Praise from Pauler is just blather. Praise from Randy is a little better but still not that significant. Praise from Simon is real validation because it’s never hollow coming from him and he throws around compliments like truck tires. Likewise, if Simon doesn’t like you at least a little bit, you’ve got no shot. Simon IS the show in a lot of ways. Without him, it would be Star Search. [/QUOTE] I agree with every word of that. When Paula praises, it just means, “Hello, I’m awake.” When Randy praises, it just means, “You’re pretty good, Dawg.” But when Simon praises, it means, “You’re the type of singer I risk my income and reputation on when I finance careers.” ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/139 "2007-01-25T18:38:22Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] The flaming superstar guy at the beginning was my favorite, though. [/QUOTE] “The stole is chinchilla and it represents of all the riches I am worth.” Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, that guy was a _riot_. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122/140 "2007-01-25T18:44:13Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] “The stole is chinchilla and it represents of all the riches I am worth.” Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, that guy was a _riot_. [/QUOTE] He was such a put on. The accent was soooo fake. But I still laughed when he was ticking off the parts in the Lionel Richie song-- Fiesta, fugimati, arigato. . . And hey, **rockle** where ya been? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-23/389122.md?page=8)